Chronicles of a Champion
by Kinda-Mayvelle
Summary: AU OoT Rewrite. Abused as a young child, Link grows up in the forest with only Saria for a friend when he is called upon by the Great Deku Tree and sent on his quest to save Hyrule. Rated for violence. ON HIATUS INDEFINITELY.
1. Prologue

**Chronicles of a Champion**

_A Rewrite of 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'_

Disclaimer: I do not own LoZ. Period.

**Prologue: Times Not Yet Gone By**

* * *

Kokiri Forest was quiet at this time of the morning, the barely visible streaks of pastel pink and baby blues still thin and nondescript in the sky. The many trees were dark; their leaves clumped together by the night and drizzle into masses of shadows that slinked through the air like predators out on the hunt when the wind stirred them from their rest.

The atmosphere itself was still gloomy, thick with the silence of pre-dawn sleepiness that always pervaded the wood at this time of day. Flickering, dimly glowing swirls of light flowed through the substantial space between the low-rising, crudely sculpted timber abodes that made up the homes of the people of the forest: The Kokiri. Somewhere out in the deep grasses and murky foliage crickets chirped a steady, beating rhythm through the air like a heartbeat, slowly growing hushed as dawn approached at a leisurely rate.

A small boy, no older than ten, crept with a painfully cautious gait through the dense, rustling leaves of a good-sized smattering of underbrush. He lifted one slow, slightly shaking hand to his brow, wiping the nervous sweat and damp straw-blonde hair out of his face as he carefully let out the air he had been holding in his lungs in anticipation; he hadn't been caught yet.

Ever vigilant and alert to his environment, he stepped out from his hiding place with an insecure foot, tenderly lifting the bulky mass that had been resting on the earthy ground next to him, glancing furtively in every direction for any foes. He inched a bit further into the open area, nervousness obvious in his every movement, before warily walking, ever watching, towards a tall wooden tree house tucked into a corner of the vast clearing.

A glance up at the sky—now liberally swathed with pallid shades showing the impending sunrise—told him he didn't have much time left to spare. He increased his pace, the great cerulean eyes that peered out from his pale, thin face darting as frantically as ever around the wood. He was so close…!

He flinched as he heard a triumphant scream and tell-tale thump of heavy footsteps behind him and he broke out into a desperate run, all his focus narrowing in on his goal with desperation.

_Have to make it…!_

The boy felt something blunt and unmercifully hard slam into his back, causing him to lurch forward with momentum and sprawl face-first into the damp dirt, mud from last night's rain clinging to his green tunic and washing itself into his eyes and nose. He coughed, trying to clear his airway of the disgusting stuff. The boy felt something small and swift kick harshly into his side, knocking him over onto his back and winding him. He blinked as the sky spun above him until the weak morning sunlight was blacked out; someone was standing over him.

The other male put his pudgy hands on his hips, scowling down with predatory glee at the boy slumped in the sludge. The light hit his hair, lighting the fiery mass of red locks a vibrant crimson. Down in the dirt the lad winced, turning his head away to spare his eyes from the blinding vision. The red haired one's scowl turned disapproving, and he delivered another boot to his ribs. The boy gasped as a slight trickle of blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth; he was sure that bone would be broken, if not splintered, now. The red head smirked in delight at his victim's obvious pain, and sneered.

"Thought you'd get away with taking from the forest, did you, you little punk? Well? Did you?" he gave his prey no time to respond, instead choosing to take the wooden club looped into his leather belt from its place and smashing it into the same spot his boot had been not a moment before, getting another yelp of distress from the blonde child lying at his feet. His cold blue eyes gleamed with a sick enjoyment, signaling to someone outside the blonde's range of vision to approach. He felt a nauseous sensation well up in his stomach and scorch the back of his throat, threatening to make him vomit, but he bit it back and moaned in agony; throwing up all over Mido's shoes would not make anything better. In fact, if he did do that he was certain he might not be able to get back up this time.

Two other children stepped into his view, one bulky in set and the other scrawnier, though no less intimidating. They came to stand next to their ringleader, and Mido's smirk grew wider as his vindictive gaze settled on the blonde kid.

"Well, Mr. No Fairy, you know what's going to happen to you for this crime, don't you? People like you are forbidden from even entering the Forbidden Woods, much less take anything from it!" Mido's fist found its way into the blonde's stomach with an unrelenting strength, and the boy doubled over even as he lay on the floor, hacking up blood from his injured ribs and urgently struggling for air. The red head turned his nose up at him, a sneer evident on his pointed, bullying face. "Not talkin', are you? Fine then. Boys?" The two stepped forward, cracking their knuckles as wickedly cruel grins spread across their features and the blonde looked away as he shut his eyes tightly, knowing he could do nothing to stop them.

The first blow came; what felt chillingly like the club Mido had used colliding with his bruised leg, ripping a scream from his mouth and already hoarse voice box as the bone in the leg shattered. The scrawny boy's turn came next, smacking his balled fist into the child's face at brutal speeds, causing his head to snap to the side; the blonde was sure his jaw was at least fractured. He curled up into a ball as the assaults hailed down upon his small, fragile body, a spatter of red liquid flying from his lips and a jerk of agony ripping through him with each one that landed true. He didn't know how long it went on; he couldn't even tell the passing of time by the light through his eyelids. All he saw were bright stars bursting into brilliant radiance.

At last it stopped. He didn't even hear them leave; the blood pounded loudly in his ears, and the world spun about him in the darkness of his gaze. He lay there for a few moments, before slowly and painstakingly trying to move. He knew that if he didn't they would be back for more, thinking that he hadn't had enough for the day. A moan of torment was all the reward he got for twitching his fingers, trying to get them to work, but he pushed on with as much will as he could gather; he wasn't ready to die now. He moved his bloody and broken left hand with an agonizing sluggishness beneath him, a scream choking back in his throat and hot, burning tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he did so. He inhaled as deeply as his fractured ribs would allow him, stopping just short of painful and let it out in a shaky puff of mist as he hardened himself for what he knew was coming. He pushed off from the bloodstained and young grass beneath his numb and tingling fingers with as much force as he could. Pained tears coursed down his filthy, ragged face as he staggered to his knees, collapsing with his right hand outstretched and supporting him from falling to the ground again. His breath increased rapidly as the boiling blood pumped through his veins, sending white-hot tendrils of fiery torture through his whole quivering frame. He slowly and carefully levered himself to his feet in a steady position, ignoring the stares he knew he was receiving from the Kokiri who had finally come out of their homes. None of them came forward to aid him, and he didn't expect them to. After all, he was an outcast, a nobody; why would anyone care what happened to him?

He staggered towards the tree house he had been frantically sprinting towards not too long before, casting his bruised and beaten face to the sky, which was now pink and softly lit with the new morning light. His feet brushed the bundle he had dropped when he had been tripped, but he made no move to pick it up as he finally slumped against the thrown-together ladder that led to the home above the ground level. He bit back a groan of frustration and with one hand—his left still broken—gripped the rickety wooden frame with it, a hiss coming from him as he lifted his battered body off the floor. His crippled, sprained feet found the first step of the ladder, and he had to choke back a sob before reaching up again with his good hand and grasping the next rung, painstakingly lifting himself up the ladder with as much care as possible. It wasn't impossible; after all, how many times before had this happened? He honestly couldn't remember; he had lost count somewhere around two hundred and that was a long time ago.

When he finally reached the high platform that made up the porch of the home he collapsed upon it, his whole frame quaking violently as tears sprang to his eyes and a weak wail echoed soundlessly from his dry and cracked vocal cords. He reached forward blindly with his right hand and crawled brokenly to the doorway of the building before crossing the threshold at a pace that took forever before hoisting himself up onto his sagging bed, crumpling in a heap upon the blissfully soft and comforting sheets. Tears continue to move down his visage, clearing clean paths through the large smudges of dirt and mud that had clung to his face and begun to harden from too much exposure to the air. As the sobs slowly faded from him, he twitched his fingers again to make sure they were still there. When a slight tingling sensation crept up his arm he sighed in relief, stopping short with a sharp intake of breath as his injured ribcage once again poked him tantalizingly in the lungs. His breathing came in short, shallow gasps, marred with the occasional hiccup as hysteria left him. He closed his eyes, basking in the soothing crispness of his bed before losing himself in the numbness of his mind, happily leaving the realm of light and pain for the calming and trouble-free arms of the darkness, forgetting for a moment all of his problems.

* * *

He was jolted awake by the light and hesitant touch of flesh against his own, and his eyes snapped open with a wince as the bright glow of early morning daylight flashed into his optics. He closed them again with a hiss of pain before opening them more slowly, leaning his aching head to the side to see who it was that awoke him.

Beside him kneeled a young girl, apparently no older than he was, with forest green hair and brilliant dark blue eyes. She was decked out in a light green vest and a dark jade, long-sleeved tunic with matching shorts. Her young face was pinched in concentration as she fought slightly with the long roll of bandages tangled up in her hands, trying without success to unravel them so she could wrap them around his broken arm and splint it. He watched her in confusion for a moment, his cobalt gaze unfocused before awareness suddenly seized him. He bolted up in his bed as fast as his hurt body would allow him, staring at her wide-eyed in shock and amazement.

"Saria! What…What are you doing here?" he stuttered, not willing to believe that she was actually here—and helping him, no less! The girl, Saria, frowned at him and crossed her arms in a patronizing fashion, eying him with a critical look.

"Your ribs are broken, your left wrist and hand shattered, _both_ legs fractured, two sprained ankles, and a heavily bruised face; I'm holding a roll of bandages. What do you _think_ I'm doing?" he gaped at her before looking down at himself, noticing for the first time that the mud had been cleaned from his bared skin and face and the wraps around his jaw.

"But…but…I…but you…" he trailed off, his eyes dropping to his lap in consternation. "You don't have to…I mean…you have no reason to…" he turned away, ashamed of his state. The scolding look vanished instantly from her face and her arms fell limply to her sides, the crisp white bindings held loosely in her small hands. Her eyes found his turned head, sorrow filling them slightly.

"Why wouldn't I help you, Link?" she said softly, all thoughts of reprimanding him for his uncalled-for assumption whisked away from her. "You're my best friend, and have been since you came here. Why wouldn't I help you? You're hurt, and there's no one else who would even think about it." She lowered her gaze to the linen in her grasp, a miserable shadow growing in her dark sapphire eyes before she looked up again, a surprising determination replacing the gloomy shimmer. She stepped towards him, gently taking his left arm in her grasp and began to carefully wrap it. "So I'm going to do it, and nothing you say is going to stop me." Link whipped his head around to argue, but the words died in his throat at the look on her face. He gave in wearily, not protesting as she finished wrapping and splinting his arm, nor as she moved on to bind the rest of his injuries. He had never won an argument with her, and he knew he never would.

Saria stepped back with her fists back on her hips, surveying her work before nodding in approval. "I think that should do it. Don't exert yourself, and try to move as little as possible." She hesitated, boring her gaze deep into his eyes and looking for any resentment before spinning on her heel and walking slowly to the door, her emerald boots tapping quietly against the wooden floorboards. She paused in the doorway but didn't look back. "Your, ah, stuff is by your bed…I brought it in before Mido and his group could get a hold of it." And then she was out the door, the drape that closed off the room from the open air outside flaring wildly for a moment before settling stilly over the entrance.

He looked after her even when she was gone, his gaze unfocused again, before slowly standing from the feathered mattress and peering around the corner of the bed frame. Sure enough, the bulky bundle he had been so desperate to get back to his home was lying there, untouched except for a small amount of dried mud here or there. He sighed in relief when he saw it, reaching out a tentative hand and dragging it towards him as he sat back on his bed. He lifted the bundle up into his lap, carefully unwrapping it and hoping the contents hadn't been smashed when he had taken that fall.

Another sigh of relief brushed past his lips when he saw that the many fruits and nuts he had stealthily taken from the Forbidden Woods were unharmed. He picked up a pomegranate with his good hand, tossing it into the air before catching it and setting it aside again. After rummaging through the contents of the cloth bag for a few more moments, he extracted a shiny red apple. He grinned as he bit into it, the sweet juices gathering in his mouth and sliding smoothly down his parched throat. He chewed slowly, savoring the taste of it and victory, silently sending out his thanks to Saria for her thoughtfulness.

They may have gotten him, but they hadn't gotten his hard-earned food.

* * *

Navi the fairy watched the events of the morning unfold before her in distress, her glow flickering several times and her translucent wings drooping as she saw Link being picked on again—and rather savagely, but when had it ever not been? A diminutive sigh escaped the fairy and she turned around and drifted through the Forest aimlessly, sorrow filling her. She had been strictly forbidden from aiding him, and rage flowed through her veins as she thought of how much could have been avoided if she had just been given to him as a partner. Why all of this? Why did he have to go through all this torment, when it did not even have to be? A frustrated moan escaped from her. Why couldn't she help him? Why was it so prohibited? Why must _he_ be the one singled out—one of the few decent Kokiri there were in this goddess-forsaken forest? She smacked a small hand—barely visible through the slightly azure glow that surrounded her—to her forehead in exasperation. She had asked these questions a thousand times before, or more: she had even taken the issue before the Great Deku Tree himself, demanding an answer to her seemingly unanswerable inquiries.

She landed softly on the branch of a high-up tree, sitting down and watching the sky begin to turn overcast in despair; it looked like it was going to rain again. This was confirmed as a single drop of liquid landed on her wings, and she fluttered them slightly to get the moisture off before standing again and heading to the clearing of the forest's guardian; even though he wouldn't give her the responses she sought, at least she could mollify her guilt over the situation somewhat if she continued to pester him with queries. Perhaps, just perhaps, he would grow tired of her today and plainly tell her what she wanted to know, merely to be rid of her. A miniature, sly smile slipped across her face as she entered the clearing, the thickly leaved branches of the Great Deku Tree blocking out the downpour. It was worth a shot, as she told herself every day of her existence when it came to the small blonde boy back in the forest. It was worth a shot.

**

* * *

A/N: I have been mulling over the idea for this for awhile and I've finally gotten around to actually trying my hand at writing it. It's basically a re-write of Ocarina of Time (whohoo, so original!) and I've yet to definitely set how I'm going to go about this, so it may be some time until the next update. As any of my normal readers know, I'm busy with "A Change in History" so will be slow on updating everything else, but I hope to get the next chapter up within a week. Savvy? Leave me any comments, and tell me if you think I should continue! I need to know if people are actually reading it; else I'll drop the idea and go back to ACiH; Au revoir.**


	2. A Fairy for Mr No Fairy?

**Chronicles of a Champion**

_A Rewrite of 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'_

Disclaimer: I do not own LoZ. Period.

**Chapter One: A Fairy for Mr. No Fairy?**

* * *

Link rolled over on his side, the darkness coating his home thick and oppressive. He flinched slightly as a twang of pain shot through the wrist bone of his right hand, but he simply ignored it and concentrated on trying to sleep.

It had been six weeks since the brutal assault that had landed him here, stranded in the winding sheets of his small bed as he waited out the time it took for his injured and weak body to recover. He scoffed in the inky blackness that surrounded him, though he was secretly thankful. Saria—for whatever reason, one which he surely could not fathom—had taken pity (at least that's what he believed it to be) on him and now brought him food, all-natural salves, among other things that he required to live. Because of this, Mido and his thugs hadn't had the chance to get at him; it was strictly forbidden by the Great Deku Tree to enter another's home without knocking and gaining permission to do so—it was a rule that even Mido dreaded the idea of breaking.

Saria had stopped by earlier that day to check on his condition and bring him a few fruits and vegetables, wrapped carefully in a large, healthy green leaf that had no doubt been taken from the Lost Woods—it was the only place you could get ones so big. He rolled over where he lay again, this time absently examining the cracks and small, almost unnoticeable—but certainly natural—designs that swirled through the sturdy wood that made up the walls of his tree house.

Saria had said, with a slightly worried and anxious expression, that he would be well enough again to venture outside the safety of his home and once again brave the Kokiri Village by the end of the week. Link winced when he imagined the beating that awaited him just beyond his doorstep. Mido and the rest had no one else to pummel in his absence, and he was positively certain that they would take full liberties to pay him back for leaving them bereft of their hobby. A frustrated sound escaped from the back of his throat and he pushed himself out of bed, ignoring the aching protest his still-tender leg made. The sudden shift in weight almost made him topple over, but he grabbed the edge of his bed and steadied himself, cursing mentally in his head as he did so. When he regained his equilibrium he crossed the room at a steady, albeit slow, pace and gently pushed aside the curtain that served as his front door and stepped out onto his porch, swallowing a large gulp of the first fresh air he had gotten in over a month. All the tension left his shoulders and he slumped against the wall, content to enjoy the cool breeze of the late night that surrounded him before pushing off again and hobbling towards the ladder—which, thankfully, Mido had not yet thought to rig with a prank or two.

_This isn't wise,_ his inner voice cautioned him soundly as he gradually descended the ladder, rung by rung. _They'll get you._

Of course, he knew they'd get him…eventually. They didn't yet know he was out of bed and about though so he was safe, for the moment. Anyways, he was just going to take a walk…

* * *

And take a walk he did. As he paced past the glistening, clear pond that rested before the local shop he admired the unseen beauty of the forest at nighttime. True, he had been out after dark before, many times staying out until dawn or later, but he had always been sneaking about, trying his hardest not to be caught. Traditionally, he thought morbidly but not without humor, such situations didn't allow one to stop and 'smell the flowers' as the saying went. A small smile slipped across his worn and pained features as he turned on his heels and started back towards his home. It was still a few hours until dawn, but he did not wish to press his luck. For all he knew, Mido could be creeping through the underbrush, watching his every move…

The thought made his feet move faster on instinct. He wasn't sure he was well enough to run yet, but he'd sure as all that was holy not tempt fate with such a thing.

He was not twenty feet from the base of his tree house when a sudden rustling of the bushes caught his alert attention. His legs sped up and he locked his gaze on the ladder, ignoring everything around him as he all but ran for the safety of his home.

The bushes rustling got louder and he heard something burst out of them behind him, but didn't look back to see just who—or even _what_—was pursuing him.

_Odd,_ he thought, after a minute of listening. _They don't have footsteps…_ he felt a warm glow spread across his back, just before something slammed into the back of his head with a screech.

"HEY!"

Agony _exploded_ in his skull and stars danced before his eyes. He stumbled from the blow and landed with a slam on his knees, causing even more pain to shoot through him. This—coupled with a lack of sleep and heightened nerves—forced him away from consciousness.

He felt his body slump to the cold dirt below him, and before darkness claimed him he heard something whisper on the wind.

"Oops…"

* * *

Link groaned when he awoke, fire burning slowly through his veins. He cautiously opened his eyes, half expecting to see Mido standing over him with a smug face, but to his immense surprise saw the ceiling of his home, lit dimly with the light of the dawn that peaked past the curtain of his curtain that served as his front door. Confusion spread across his features and he sat up, hissing slightly at the horrible headache that throbbed at his temple. He blinked in surprise as Saria stepped into his vision, extreme concern warring with aggravation for dominance on her face.

"Link! What were you doing out there? You aren't recovered yet! Just be glad that Navi here came and got me when she did. You might have taken some serious damage!" Link blinked at her again, sluggishly processing this speech in his head. Saria, seeing the confusion, sighed. "Navi came and got me when you passed out."

_Who's Navi?_ He wondered, but he had no sooner finished this thought when a blue, glowing _something_ flew straight into his face, blinding him with its luminance.

"Oh, Link, I'm _soo_ sorry! I never meant to hurt you! You were just running so fast and I had to catch up with you and…" the thing, now identified as a female by its high-pitched voice, trailed off and hovered back slightly away from him, her wings fluttering with anxiety.

Link stared at her in puzzlement. Was that a _fairy?_ What was it doing here, of all places? "You're a fairy…Why are you…?" he looked to Saria for aid, but she merely shook her head and stood back, a slight joy spreading across her face.

"Link! I'm _your_ fairy! I'm Navi, and the Great Deku Tree's summoned you to him!" she squeaked happily, apparently forgetting her earlier transgression.

Link was bewildered. "A fairy? _Mine_? Er, no, you must be mistaken; I don't have a fairy…"

Navi giggled slightly and settled onto his shoulder with an air of finality. "And that's my point exactly. From now on, I'm your guardian and partner." She scrutinized him carefully. "Don't tell me you aren't happy about this."

Link jumped up from the bed and yelped slightly as the sudden movement jarred his headache, and Saria stepped forward in concern before Link waved her off.

"How could I possibly be unhappy about this? I have a fairy now! Now I'm just like everyone else!" Excitement flooded him and Navi smiled, satisfied. _That was easier than I thought it might be…_

Navi floated from his shoulder, her hands on her hips. "Now that we've got that out of the way, the Great Deku Tree wants to see you, so hurry up and move it!" Link gave her a stupefied stare and Saria sighed in exasperation, shoving him forward slightly from where she had snuck up behind him.

"Go, Link. He has a reason for wanting to see you," she encouraged him. Link, bolstered slightly by this, exited his home and hesitated on the landing of the tree house, gazing at the forest floor in uncertainty. Navi saw this and tugged lightly on his ear.

"Don't worry, Link. Those goons won't _dare_ do anything to you now that _I'm_ here." She told him confidently before ushering him down the ladder.

Link wasn't surprised to see Mido and his thugs suddenly strolling towards him as various other Kokiri stopped their chores to watch the show. Mido halted before him, a sneer evident on his face.

"So, not running this time, huh? Smart of you, cause we'd only hurt you worse." An evil grin tugged at his freckled face. "Not that we wouldn't hurt you badly in the first place." Link stepped back slightly, fear washing through him from years of instinct, and he was about to turn tail and bolt back up the ladder before Navi flew forward, her cerulean glow replaced by an angry red.

"You wouldn't dare! I'm his fairy, and I'll report you straight to the Great Deku Tree for such a thing, Mido!" Link watched her in absolute amazement, and he noted distantly that he wasn't the only one. The Kokiri that had gathered around them stared at her with jaws agape.

Mido looked at her in shock. "No way! Mr. No Fairy doesn't have a fairy. He's not one of us!" Navi puffed up arrogantly and Link had the sudden impression that her nose was high in the air haughtily.

"Yes well, he does now, so move out of the way before I make you. Come on, Link. The Great Deku Tree won't wait long." She flew past him smugly, a star-struck Link following after her obediently. Mido's mouth opened and closed several times before he was able to form words.

"The Great Deku Tree? That's not possible! What would he want with that loser?" Navi ignored him with indifference and Link copied her, causing Mido's face to flush a bright red. "Hey, wait! You can't just ignore me…Wait up!" But Link had already pushed through the stunned and unresisting crowd, Navi's iridescent light guiding him past the group and out into open air. Link glanced back over his shoulder in wonder, and Navi's glow brightened with self-satisfaction.

"See? What did I tell you? They won't dare mess with you now. So come on, we need to go see the Great Deku Tree." Link made to follow her, but was stopped sharply by a persistent grip on his shoulder. He whirled around to see a red-faced Mido behind him, glaring at him viciously. Link's stomach plummeted.

"You can't go see the Great Deku Tree without a sword and shield," he said with difficulty, obviously drawing on his hatred of Link to even talk to him at all now. Link almost slumped with relief when he found the boy didn't want to beat him. Navi backtracked to the two, watching Mido with a careful suspiciousness.

"That's ridiculous," she responded huffily, tugging on Link's green tunic. "Let's go, we don't need to waste our time with him…" Link examined Mido's detestable but truthful expression and signaled gently for her to hold up. She let him go with a huffy sigh, but fell silent. Mido's face fell in relief.

"And where would I find a sword and shield?" he asked, still not completely sure the redhead was even telling the truth instead of fibbing just to spite him. Mido slowly extracted his pudgy hand from Link's shoulder.

"You can buy the shield from the shop, but for the sword…" He seemed to struggle with himself for a moment and was about to continue when a voice cut in behind him.

"The sword is hidden in the training grounds. There's a small entrance there; you follow it to get the sword." The two boys turned sharply and saw Saria standing there, her hands on her hips stubbornly. "What? You didn't think I'd stop helping just because you were feeling better and have a fairy? Come on, you know me better than that." Link looked between the two for a minute before nodding gratefully at both of them, spinning on his heel and sprinting to the training ground as fast as his tender legs would carry him. Navi flew as swiftly as she could, intent to keep up with him.

* * *

"You'd believe them?" she asked him sulkily when they came to their destination. Link was already on his hands and knees, sifting through the grass near the base of a cliff for the secret entrance Saria told him about.

"I'd trust Saria with my life," he said, and paused for a moment to marvel at just how true that sudden statement was. He shook his head and continued searching, unaware of the speculating look Navi had shot him. "Mido's not lying; they really do sell shields at the shop. Besides, why would he lie to me? There would be no reason to, no matter how mean he is to me." It was Navi's turn to shake her head, this time in exasperation; this boy was far too trusting for his own good. Her musings were cut short by a triumphant shout from the tall grass swaying wildly where she knew Link knelt. "I found it!" Navi flew over to him and looked over his shoulder.

He _had_ found it; Saria hadn't been lying. Nestled within the tall grasses near the training center an entrance was tunneled through the rocky face of the cliff, large enough only for a small child which, fortunately for Link, he was. He lay down on the earthy forest ground, stretching his hands into the passage and pulling himself in on his stomach. Navi watched him in sudden alarm.

"What do you think you're doing?" Link wiggled back out into the open air to give her a strange look.

"Getting the sword, what does it look like?" he spotted the skeptical look that flashed through her glow and rolled his eyes. "Hey, if Saria hadn't lied about the entrance, then she didn't lie about the sword, okay? Sheesh. Anyways," he continued, sparing her a slight, mischievous grin, "you're my guardian fairy. You can't let anything happen to me or it would cost you your job." Navi fluttered anxiously, knowing he was right, but said nothing when he entered the tunnel again and struggled through the tight passage. She sighed and followed him, knowing things were only going to get worse from here on out.

* * *

Link pulled himself with little difficulty from the tunnel on the other side, standing up and brushing the dirt that had smeared across his tunic from his journey. He waited for Navi before setting off down a narrow passage, making a left turn. Before him lay another bushy corridor, but instead there were two other branching paths: one close to him and going to the right, and one at the very end, also swerving to the right. He didn't hesitate and stepped out on the open trail, noting with interest that the grass beneath his feet seemed to be worn down substantially but dismissing it. He was not halfway down the lane when a slight rumbling echoed from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened even as Navi shrieked next to his ear from her spot on his shoulder.

"Run, Link, Run! That thing will crush you!" Link didn't need telling twice. He turned back to the front and ran as fast as his short legs could carry him, not daring to glance over his shoulder again even as the ominous rumbling drew unnervingly closer. Ahead of him he spotted a branching enclave and he dived into it, feeling the large boulder that had been mindlessly chasing him graze the bottom of his boots as he did so. He lay there on the floor, shaking badly even as the rumbling faded as the boulder rolled away back down the corridor. He let out a great whoosh of air and Navi hovered angrily in the air.

"Ooooh, that Saria! I'll strangle her next I see her! She didn't even _think_ to warn us about that thing!" her outraged rambling went on, but Link tuned her out thoughtlessly as his gaze was arrested by the sight before him.

Resting on an incredibly squat stump was a large chest, gleaming in the faded and dappled sunlight that shined through the leaves high above his head. He slowly rose to his feet and approached it, his eyes filled with wonder. He stopped before it and tentatively reached out his trembling hand. He ran his fingers lightly over the ornate engravings along the edges of the lids and on a sudden impulse seized them, flinging the chest open with a burst of strength, causing Navi to scream piercingly in surprise behind him. A sudden beam of light shot out of the chest, knocking him back onto his rear with its vigor.

Link blinked the daze from his eyes and stood again, this time rushing to the chest and peering inside curiously.

On the bottom of the chest lay a small sword—a dagger to anyone else, really, but to Link, it was the perfect size. The beam of light had come from the blade when the sunlight from above had shined down on it suddenly, only magnified by the gilded edges of the chest. The hilt was a gleaming gold, set with rubies that almost sparkled with a life of their own. Link reached in and pulled it out reverently despite the high-pitched warnings of Navi not to touch such a magical object. It rested perfectly in his hands, and with a sense of wonder he spun it in the palm of his hand slightly, marveling at how easy it was to handle and the whistling sound it made when it cut cleanly through the air. He ripped his attention away from the treasure and inspected the bottom of the chest, seeing a sheath he hadn't noticed before in his surprise. He lifted it from its position and slid the sword in with a slight hiss. He stared in slight bewilderment at the confusing belts and straps the harness for the scabbard was made of, but with a fair bit of struggling and cursing had got it settled comfortably around him, the casing of the blade resting snuggly against his back. The hilt peaked over his left shoulder, and he reached up and withdrew it quickly, trying to get the handle of using such a weapon. Navi watched him with a dampened air. After a little while in which Link messed around with his new tool, Navi tapped him on the shoulder and gestured that they should go. He re-sheathed the sword and gulped slightly as he saw the obstacle before him.

"Not the boulder again…" he moaned, his excitement over his find quickly dissipating. Navi said nothing so Link, gathering up all the courage he had, took a deep breath and waited for the boulder to pass before chasing after it, hoping it wouldn't get him this time.

**

* * *

A/N: Wow, that took longer to write than I thought. Saria was a bit harder to write in this chapter, but I think I got her pinned down well enough.**


	3. The Great Deku Tree

**Chronicles of a Champion**

_A Rewrite of 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'_

Disclaimer: I do not own LoZ. Period.

**Chapter Two: The Great Deku Tree**

* * *

"What in the name of Farore are you _doing_, Link?" Navi asked him irately as she fluttered with impatience about his blonde head. Link looked up from his task, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Trying to get this harness on, what does it look like?" Link teased her before going back to the difficult job of trying to get the contraption on correctly. Navi heaved a sigh of frustration and settled onto his head, crossing her arms in offense.

"You don't have the first idea what you're doing, and we're late enough as it is. Can't you move any faster?"

It was Link's turn to sigh. "I'd like to, Navi, but this isn't exactly easy. Care to help me with this?" He tugged on the stray end of a leather strap that hung near his waist. Navi watched him in amusement before taking off again and hoisting it up with effort to his shoulder. He grinned at her again. "Thanks." She glared at him but remained silent.

Link pulled the last strap behind his back and took a shot at trying to hook it onto the loop at his belt. Navi rolled her eyes and did it for him, annoyance warring for exasperation on her face. Link settled it more comfortably about him and hooked his shield to the back of the sword sheath.

"There, we're done. Can we get a move on now?" Questioned the fairy, but Link had already started off towards the Deku Tree's clearing. Navi huffed and flew after him. Why did she have to get stuck with this one?

_Oh yes, I signed up for it._ Perhaps it wasn't too late to resign, retire to the Forbidden Woods and take up residence at a fairy fountain for soothing holy water baths and peppermint drinks at the top of every hour…

Link glanced over his shoulder, irritated at her slow pace. "Navi, I thought you said to hurry!" Navi glared at him and flew faster, cursing her small wings as she did so. This boy was going to drive her insane, and it was only the first day on the job!

* * *

Mido smirked at them as they neared, having taken up his post at the mouth of the tunnel leading to the Great Deku Tree. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot languidly as Link came to a halt before him, breathing a mite heavier than usual from the long sprint.

"So, _Mr. No Fairy,_" he emphasized, blatantly ignoring Navi's angry huff, "think you're Kokiri enough to see the Great Deku Tree without the proper equipment, do you?" Link glared at him before gesturing to the sword and shield resting on his small back.

"Move it, Mido, I have the stuff. You can't stop me." Link felt a lot braver facing the redhead now that he was armed—although he would definitely not admit that he had no real idea how to wield the blade. Mido's faced purpled and his eyes turned to slits as he eyed the steel disdainfully.

"You call that hunk of scrap metal a sword? And where'd you get the shield—carved it from a tree? Probably from the Forbidden Woods too, you runt. It'd serve you're bloated ego to vandalize the place, and you wouldn't even care, seeing as how you're not one of us anyways." Mido turned his face to the side, sticking his nose up in the air superiorly. Link's fist clenched tightly enough to turn the knuckles white, but reigned in his temper with ferocity. Things would only go downhill if he jumped the jerk…

Navi had no such inhibitions. Her illuminant glow flashed a dangerous scarlet and she flew violently into the smug boy's face, tinkling with satisfaction when she heard the tell-tale crack of the bone breaking in his now bloody nose. She darted back to Link as Mido fell on his rear, cradling his face as crimson liquid flowed freely from his busted muzzle. Link stared at her in both an awed respect and slight fear even as she grabbed a fistful of his green tunic in her tiny fairy hands and began to tug him towards the entrance of the clearing.

"Come on Link, before the creep gets up!" Link snapped out of it and bounded past the Kokiri huddled in the grass, amazement still paralyzing his thought processes.

As he ran he turned his head slightly to look at Navi. "You punched him!" Navi's glow turned pink in embarrassment, but she dismissed it and resumed her cerulean color.

"The punk deserved it. And I didn't punch him as much as tackle him," she added in a mutter, trailing off into low grumbles. Link grinned at her with growing affection and turned back to his path. He was still so taken with the latest turn of events that he didn't even see the ground shift in front of him, or the slight screech that emanated from the wildly waving grass covering it.

"Link, watch out!"

It was too late; Link yelped as he felt something sharp and leathery snag onto his leg and wrench on it, sending the boy tumbling to the ground in a haze of red. Navi was screaming at him to get up, to draw his sword, anything, but Link could hardly hear her over the sinister growling that pounded his eardrums. He shook his cotton-filled head and turned it to the side, his half-open eyes widening at the creature beside him.

Standing at what must have been six feet or more, the thing's long, writhing green stem was held low to the ground, the bulb-like mouth on the end of it lined with sharp teeth on the inside and closed tight about his lower right leg. He cried out and tugged harshly on the trapped limb, but the fiend just growled louder and sunk its fangs deeper into the soft tissue of his leg muscles. Navi flitted frantically about his head, attempting to grab his attention.

"The sword, Link! Use the sword!" Link heard her and reached with his right hand—his left, his good hand, was pinned underneath him—and tugged the blade haphazardly from its sheath before swinging it in a wide arc towards the plant thing. The steel nicked the corner of its orifice and the monster shrieked and reared back, releasing Link from it's strangling hold. The boy used his now free left hand and pulled himself desperately along the earth, the dirt seeping in under his nails in his frenzied attempts at escape. He lugged himself painfully to his feet, trying his hardest to support his weight with his uninjured leg. The thing snapped its head—for what else could it be?—back towards Link, a snarl pulling at the thin lips of its jaws in a threatening manner, watching him and anticipating his next move. Link shifted to the side slightly, and the bulb followed his cautious movements with a predator's gaze. Navi hovered nearer to him anxiously.

"Get the stem. Cut it in half—it should kill it," she advised him quietly in his ear, and he nodded at her gratefully before slowly edging closer to the creature. It raised itself slightly; white, thick saliva drooping from its maws with unrestricted hunger. Inwardly Link shivered, but he steeled himself and launched at the thing, his sword (now in his left hand) driving forward like a lance and the shield held securely in front of him in the hopes that it might take the blow from the stalk. The monster screamed and pitched forward, its dagger-like incisors flashing in the gloomy sunlight that floated down from the treetops. Link forced his eyes shut and prayed to whoever was listening that he survived this—

Link felt the blade in his hand shudder as it made contact with the fleshy, weak stem of the creature. The steel ran clean through the green sinew and a disgusting, transparent ooze splattered onto it as the thing let out a bloodcurdling howl of rage and agony. The monster gave one last desperate bite at Link's head. He dodged and stumbled backwards, the sword falling from his limp and nerveless hands. He watched in abject horror as the thing in front of him arched and twisted before slowly melting in to the emerald sweep of the forest's grass beneath Link's boots.

Link fell on his rear and continued to watch the spot where the monster had died, waiting for his heartbeat and breathing to slow. When they reached normal levels, he shakily picked up the Kokiri Sword from where it had fallen and slid it back into its sheath after wiping the gooey, clear substance from it. Navi landed on his shoulder, gently patting his pale and sweaty cheek in comfort.

"What _was _that?" he asked at last. Navi cast a glance at the smoldering pile of death that had seeped further into the once healthy lawn of the woods.

"It was a Deku Baba. You should consider yourself lucky," she told him, gesturing with almost barely visible hands towards his bloody and gashed limb. "That one wasn't poisonous. There are others that are." Link paled further but nodded, absorbing this information. He turned back to his path and continued on at a much more subdued and alert pace than before. He didn't trust that there weren't more of them waiting in the shadows and foliage to reach out and snatch him without a moment's notice.

* * *

Link passed through the rest of the tunneled path with little trouble, stopping only occasionally to dispatch a Deku Baba that sprung from some hidden niche in the meadow. Now that he knew they were there, they weren't all that tough; a simple blow to the stem took care of them easily.

The end of the passageway was a welcome sight for the pair. The mouth of the path opened up into a sweeping grassland dappled with dim sunlight shining down from between the large, healthy green vegetation that spanned the great distance of the clearing. Link watched in awe as swirling lights floated, mesmerizing, past him, but when he reached out on an impulse to touch one Navi gently slapped his hand away.

"You don't want to be doing that," she advised him quietly. Link jumped when he heard another voice echo the sentiment behind him. Link whirled around on his heels, his eyes wide.

He had never seen the Great Deku Tree before; Saria had countless times, but he had taken for granted the miracle of such a summoning. The being before him far surpassed the simple title of 'Great' that had been bestowed upon him. At the very least fifty feet in girth and immeasurable yards high, the Great Deku Tree's vast branches reached out across the sky and blotted out the sun, its massive leaves whistling in the slight breeze. Natural knots and cracks in its bark made the tree look as if it had a face, a face that was wizened with age and wisdom. Link gaped at the sight, overcome almost to the point of falling to his knees. The Great Deku Tree chuckled.

"Surprised, Link? Thou should not be." The voice that resounded from the tree was deep and rich, but booming as if a large gong had been struck with force. Link stumbled backwards from the sheer force of it. The Great Deku Tree turned (as much as a stationary being could, anyways) to Navi.

"It is well that thou have returned when thy did, Navi. Too much longer and I fear it may have been too late." Navi shot Link a slightly withering look and floated closer to the father of the forest.

"I have brought him before you, as requested, Great Deku Tree." The great eyebrows of the Great Deku Tree twitched slightly.

"As I see." He gazed at Link, a steady gaze that made Link feel as if his every layer was being peeled away and he was being inspected under a great piece of glass, the look was so intense. He cautiously edged forward, still staring in awe. "Thank you, Link, for coming. Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares." Link jumped. How had the Great Deku Tree known of his nightmares of a large, looming castle and desolate weather, of the frightening horseman and the unwieldy powers he held? The boy shivered. "A vile climate pervades this world. Verily, ye have felt it." That was true enough. Link had abandoned his nightly forays into the Woods; the creatures there, normally peaceful if not friendly, had turned vicious and cruel. "The time has come to test thine courage." Link blinked in confusion. Courage? _Him_? The Great Deku Tree must be joking. If he had courage, he would have stood up to Mido more often instead of allowing himself to be trampled. "I have been cursed. I need you to dispel the curse with your wisdom and courage. Art thou prepared?"

Link would have scoffed if he didn't feel the situation was serious. He didn't have either of those traits—Saria did, but certainly not him. He opened his mouth to question the Tree, but Navi shook her head at him. He closed his mouth and deflated, giving the fairy a despairing look. There was no way he could do something of that magnitude. Navi floated closer to him, chiming with reassurance.

"Don't let what Mido says get to you, Link. He's only a great jealous bully. He only picks on you because he knows your better than he is." Link gave her a disbelieving look.

"Believe what your fairy tells you, Link. Thou are destined for great things. Verily, you should. Would I have brought thou before me, had I doubt of thine abilities?" He had a point, Link conceded. The only Kokiri to ever be summoned to the Great Deku Tree had been Saria; not even Mido had seen him personally. Link felt his spirits lift with this small revelation. He threw his shoulders back, his features taking on a fiercely determined look.

"I can do it." Navi's wings drooped in relief, and Link had the sneaking suspicion that the Great Deku Tree was smiling.

"Very well! Take thine courage and wisdom in hand, young Link. Dangers lurk deep in the shadowed halls within, and only with thou's greatest determination can such a task be undertaken. Now enter, and dispel the curse that plagues me!"

The ground rumbled underneath Link's feet, and he watched in renewed shock as the Great Deku Tree's mouth—something Link had not noticed beforehand—slid open with a roar of wood against wood to reveal a dark passageway. Link shot a nervous look towards the Tree, but the being remained silent. Navi pushed softly against Link's back, and with a sudden trepidation he cautiously entered with sword and shield drawn, unknowing of what may beset him as he did so.

**

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the semi-short chapter, but I wanted to get something out before I began to pack up my things to start the move to another house. His first real fight scene was sort of difficult; I couldn't make it too easy (no matter how easy the Deku Babas actually are, it's his first time actually using the sword) but I didn't want to make it too difficult, either. This story is going to get harder for me to do, because after nine years of faithful service our Nintendo 64 has finally given out on me, so I have no way of actually going through the game to confirm certain things—I have to really on vague online guides until I can get the system replaced. Joy. So if I get something in the dungeons or game play wrong, please forgive me. I have to work almost entirely from memory now and it's no easy task, no matter how much I've played this game. I've come to enjoy writing Navi; they only made her two-dimensional in the game, and I wanted a three-dimensional Navi, so there she is. Mido was harder to write here, because I wanted to differ from the dialogue of the game concerning the sword and shield bit, and it was more difficult than I thought it would be. I made Navi hit him on an impulse, but I feel it did nicely. No doubt you guys will love her for it; I know I do. :)**

**The Great Deku Tree's dialogue was another issue. I tried to follow it as best I could, but I'm not sure I got it spot on. If you could, would you please tell me if I did well on it? If I got it wrong I want to fix it for when Link finishes the dungeon.**

**Some of you have commented that Mido is racist; I was reading an interview with a member of the Zelda team and it was confirmed that yes, Mido's design was for him to be racist. This was after I read the chapter, so I was pleasantly surprised that I got him in character on that front. It makes my job easier.**

**Writing the fight scene with Gohma should be…interesting, to say the least.**


	4. Quests Are A Pain

**Chronicles of a Champion**

_A Rewrite of 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'_

Disclaimer: I do not own LoZ. Period.

**Chapter Three: Quests Are A Pain**

* * *

The chamber was _huge_. Link gazed towards the ceiling—what must have been a hundred feet or more—hovering above him through the musty and gloomy air, awe at the sheer size of the place flooding his system. Navi sniffed delicately and sneezed, waving the dank smell away from her small nose.

"Farore, this place is terrible!" Link tore his gaze away from his surroundings and spared Navi an exasperated glance.

"You were the one who encouraged this trip." Navi huffed slightly as she flew higher into the air, dispersing some of the murkiness that hung like fog with her brilliant glow.

"I'm starting to regret it. Come on; we need to get going. The sooner we break this curse, the better." Link nodded and evaluated the chamber again, struggling to find where to begin.

A ramp of some kind jutted out from the wall above his head and spiraled high into the air, and Link could barely make out what looked like platforms far above them. The walls around him occasionally held an overgrowth of vines, and Link felt certain they were sturdy enough to support his weight. He stepped further into the room, but cried out in surprise and jumped back as though bitten when the floor beneath his foot sunk into something sticky. He looked down and paled.

An almost unfathomably large spider web had been spun over a giant hole in the ground. Link edged closer to it and motioned Navi towards him, intending to use her light to see beyond the web. Link gasped at what it revealed. Far below them lay another chamber, and Link could see a great body of water flowing beneath them. He paled and backed away, horrified at the though of falling through there. He shivered and Navi chimed her agreement.

"I don't even want to imagine how big the spider must have been to weave this…" Navi trailed off. Link made violent shushing gestures at her.

"Don't say that! I don't want to think about that. Let's just get going…" Navi hid her irritation and floated closer to the walls, and thus the vines.

"Here, Link. You should be able to climb these." Link nodded and took a firm hold of the leathery vines and hauled himself off the floor. The vines were slippery and he almost lost his grip and fell to the ground. "Careful!" Link scowled at her but said nothing, instead choosing to focus on the task of climbing up the wall. Below him the sound of leaves rubbing together drew his attention, and he looked down to see Deku Babas unfolding like fans from their nests, hissing at him and snapping their teeth. He scowled at them and returned to his climbing.

When he reached the terrace above he gratefully sank onto the solid ground beneath him. Navi made an impatient noise and flitted about his head. "Well, hurry up! We haven't all day, you know." Link grumbled at her as he reluctantly stood, refusing to look over his shoulder to see how far he was off the ground floor. Navi flew ahead of him, lighting the unsteady path beneath and before him with her blue glow. They had not been walking more than a few minutes when an excited tinkling issued from the small fairy. She darted ahead, and Link ran to catch up with her, his breathing keeping an unnatural rhythm with his footsteps and the shadows growing as she sped farther away.

"Navi, what are you…?" he trailed off, his eyes going wide at what Navi was floating above. A large wooden chest blocked half the walkway, pressed up against a wall that was covered with the same slippery vines Link had climbed before. It was ancient, the wood chipped in some places. The metalwork didn't so much as gleam in Navi's light, so covered in rust and grime was it. Navi rang persistently.

"Well, open it! There might be something good inside."

Link didn't need telling twice. He rushed up to the chest and, though the rusty hinges groaned and fought against him, he flung it open. The (admittedly blinding) light that issued from the chest holding the Kokiri sword didn't occur here, thankfully, and Link reached in with mounting excitement. He felt something papery brush against his fingertips and he seized it, pulling it out with a flourish. The anticipation fell from his face as he held the prize out before him.

"It's a map," he said dully, a bit disappointed. Navi sighed and flew closer, illuminating the parchment.

"Yes, but it's a map of the place! Now we can't get lost!" Link wondered briefly why there was a map of the inside of the Great Deku Tree. What if the Great Deku Tree _ate_ people? The boy shuddered and pushed the frightening thought away. He honestly didn't want to think on that. Link looked over the map for a moment, pinpointing the ramp he was currently standing on and noting how it curved up to another door. He rolled it up and stuffed it in the loop of his belt. He reminded himself that he needed to buy a bag of some kind before he tried anything like this again, though the chances of that happening were looking pretty slim. He had already decided he was going to run home and curl up under his blankets once this was all over.

With the directions he needed he started off up the ramp again, Navi once more lighting the path so he didn't run the risk of falling off a sudden drop. He was glad for it; heights didn't frighten him (how could they, he lived in a tree!) but the idea of falling all the way down there and (possibly) breaking through that spider web was probably the most unappealing thing he had ever contemplated.

They reached the door Link was looking for without incident. He inspected it, and realized with a jolt that it had no handle. He groaned in frustration and leaned against it, wondering why anyone in his or her right mind would install a door with no knob—and _why_ there was a door in the Great Deku Tree in the first place. He was so preoccupied with that sudden mystery that he didn't feel the door sliding open behind him until he had fallen on his rear just inside the new room, grumbling softly. Navi followed him, and the high-pitched tinkling she was emitting sounded suspiciously like laughter. Link grunted and stood, brushing the dust that had gotten on his tunic when he fell. Navi's mirth suddenly stopped.

"Link, behind you!" Link looked at her, confused.

"Wha…? Oof!" Something hard and heavy impacted with the small of his back and Link lurched forward, his balance thrown from the sudden shift in his equilibrium. He scrambled off his knees (now skinned to match his throbbing and bleeding leg) and whirled around, his eyes immediately landing on the Deku Scrub that sat in the middle of the room, preparing to shoot another nut. He glanced over his shoulder, debating with himself whether or not to retreat, but it was too late. The door slammed shut behind him and Link felt his stomach plummet to his feet when spikes crashed down to bar the way, tips bathed in a tarnished brown color that looked eerily like blood. Another nut impacted with him—in his chest this time—and he frantically unsheathed his sword and charged the Scrub, wheezing for the air that had just been forcefully knocked from him. To his dismay it simply burrowed into the ground, safely out of his reach. He retreated again, and the creature popped back up, sending another projectile his way. He put the sword away and jumped out of the way of the attack, looking to Navi—who had been hovering near the ceiling—for guidance.

"How do I beat this thing?" He dodged another one.

"Use your shield! You can't get close enough to hit it with your sword, so try…I don't know, bouncing its attack back at it or something!" Another nut was coming, but this time Link unhooked his shield from the blade's scabbard and held it before him to block the attack. He felt—and heard—it strike the wooden surface, and Link glanced cautiously over its rim to see, much to his satisfaction, the nut rocketing back towards the Deku Scrub. It connected, and the thing let out a pitiful, high pitched squeak and leapt from its perch, choosing instead to huddle in the corner. Link advanced on it, sword drawn, and the bushy creature cringed and mewled pathetically.

"Please don't hurt me! I was only doing my job! See, look, I'll even unlock the door for you!" Link eyed it with suspicion, but true to its word the rusty bars that had been blocking both the doors in the rooms lifted, leaving the entrances unguarded. "Just don't tell queenie!" The Scrub skittered back to its perch and buried itself among its safe, leafy foliage. Link cast it a confused glance (who's 'queenie'?) but turned to the door he had yet to go through and left the room, Navi fluttering anxiously about his ears as he wondered just how it had opened that door.

The next room was so odd it made Link stop dead in his tracks. The terrace the door had led to was raised high off the ground below, torches illuminating the darker corners of the chamber. A curious metal box was indented into the ground, and Link spared it a glance as he passed it on his way to inspect the drop.

The floor below stretched out in an oblong shape to the far reaches of the room, where Link—not without a slight jolt of excitement—noted another large chest that waited to be opened. He peered down into the recesses of the lowered ground, and noticed three large, round discolorations in the floor pattern. He tilted his head to the side, curious.

"Navi, what are those?" Navi glanced at him before flying off towards the floor, further lighting the ground.

"It looks like platforms pushed into the ground." She examined the room thoughtfully. "Maybe there's something that could bring them back up?" She flew back to Link. "Look around. It shouldn't be too hard to find."

Link's mind immediately went the odd metal box thing he had seen upon first entering the room, and he doubled back to approach it. He looked to the fairy questioningly.

"That's a switch. Try stepping on it; it should do something." Link nodded and tentatively pressed his right foot down onto it, feeling it give easily under his weight. A rumble echoed underneath his boots and he whirled around to stare with wide eyes as the platforms—previously sealed tightly within the floor—rose from the ground and halted at the same level as the raised area on which he stood. He gulped as he noted the distance between the first platform and the edge of the drop, but swallowed back his trepidation and ran towards it full pelt, not entirely trusting the thing to not just give out under his feet when he landed.

He leapt from the edge with a mighty bound but fell slightly short of his mark. The young boy clawed out for the ledge and barely managed to get a good grip on it as gravity attempted to send him plowing into the floor. He bit back a nervous yelp and hurriedly hauled himself up onto the platform, eying the next with distaste. His bad leg pulsed with agony as he forced it to support his weight, taking a few hesitant steps forward before gathering his willpower. He made another bound to the next platform, unable to stop the yelp that slipped from his as his body collided with the side of the platform. He grasped the edge and hauled himself up, a shaky breath the only true indication of his relief. The terrace was still two platforms away, and as he grudgingly leapt to the next one an ominous ticking began to echo somewhere behind the walls of the room. Navi fluttering worriedly about his head.

"Link, hurry up, that doesn't sound good…"

Link wished he could. The terrace was even farther from the platform than the previous ones, his leg was screaming in protest and that ticking was growing louder and faster by the second. The boy backtracked a few steps before running for the edge as fast as he could, feeling the platform begin to sink beneath his feet even as he leapt from it. He caught the edge with his fingertips and clung desperately to it, watching with disbelief as the platforms sank back into the ground. He heaved a sigh of relief as he hauled himself back up to level ground. Navi floated down to his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Her glow turned slightly paler with worry, and Link gave her a half-hearted grin as he painstakingly rose to his feet. His leg was beginning to go numb, and he wasn't sure that was a good thing. The chest rested on the other side of the terrace, just as oxidized and dilapidated as the other one that held the map, but Link approached it thankfully and flung it open.

Link reached in and pulled out a slingshot; a nice yellow shade in color, it was just the right size for him. He grinned and tucked it into his belt with a sense of achievement. He had once owned one like it, but Mido had broken it a few years back in the course of one of his infamous vindictive rampages. A bag of what looked like Deku Seeds (a once over them proved his suspicions to be correct) lay next to its original resting place and Link grabbed that, too. He turned back to the task of retracing back to the other side, but his face fell as he noticed a problem.

The other side was too high to climb and the platforms were no longer raised. He groaned in exasperation.

"Not another trap…" Navi, however, was thoughtful. She floated around the room, inspecting the shadows for anything they may have missed. Above the alcove that had the door Link noticed a thick swath of spider webs hanging from the ceiling. He squinted and could barely make out the small splotches of brown from the overwhelming white…

On an impulse Link pulled out his newly acquired slingshot and loaded it, taking careful aim at the webbing. Navi paused in her fruitless search and stared at him as if he were mad.

"What are you doing, Link? That thing won't help us here." Link didn't answer her, instead adjusting his aim a bit further to the left before letting the seed fly. Navi let out an undignified screech when the seed sailed dangerously close to her and hit its mark, sending a ladder toppling into place against the platform. Link grinned cheekily at her as he slid down the vines on the side of his current platform and strolled towards the ladder, a sharp intake of breath the only indication of his wounds.

"Oh shut up…" Navi grumbled waspishly, but Link's grin only grew wider. He had one up on her.

The two backtracked to the spiraling pathway of the main room. Navi, still a bit sore from his earlier cheek, huffed and flew off back down the path towards the empty chest that had once held the map. Link, bemused, followed her. Once he caught up with her she bobbed in the direction of the slippery vines creeping up the wall.

"Climb those," she ordered him shortly. Link scowled at her but acquiesced, knowing she'd only get worse if he refused. He reached up with one hand as far as he could and grabbed one particularly thick creeper and used it to haul himself up. He was only about three feet up when a skittering noise reverberated in his ears and something slammed into his head, sending him tumbling back down to the pathway with a yelp. He landed with a thud, a groan of pain and annoyance sounding in rhythm to Navi's beating wings. This just wasn't his day.

**

* * *

A/N: Okie dokie folks, it's been quite some time since I updated, and I'll tell you why before you break out the pitchforks and torches. Remember that my old Nintendo gave out on me? Well, we've got our hands of a GameCube version of OoT, so I've finally been able to continue this story. As always, if you have questions tell me about them, otherwise I wouldn't be able to answer.**


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